I'm glad it seems to be working well for you.

I think you will find that the length of time you have full effectiveness of the patch is a very individual thing. I can find that my pain can increase in the third 24 hour period. I normally just suck it up and live with any increased pain but if I'm desperate I change the patch a bit earlier although only very rarely at 48 hours. If it is a major problem and is happening on a regular basis, it is possible for doctors to specifically prescribe that the patch be changed every 48 hours instead.

The rate of absorption of the drug can be affected by countless things such as where you stick it to your skin, how hairy you are, how well each patch adheres, your body temperature, external temperature changes such as use of a sauna or lying in a hot bath, how physically active you are, how many layers of clothes you have over it and so on. Things like saunas and hot baths are supposed to be avoided due to the risks of a high dose being released too quickly but I use saunas, steam rooms, spas and have been on holiday to spectacularly hot places and so on and have never had any issues.

The drug is delivered into the skin by the adhesive so if you don't get good adherence it can shorten the effective lifespan of the patch. Sometimes this happens if skin is a bit greasy or too dry. I have virtually no body hair so adhesion issues from hair don't affect me!!

I often have to change the patch an hour or two before the 72 hours is up, especially if I start to feel withdrawal symptoms coming on. I have been using the patches for years now so I know exactly what it feels like for me when the level of the drug in my system starts to drop to a point when it will kick off the start of withdrawal. It's deeply unpleasant although not dangerous as its only just the very start of that process so I am always careful on the third day to try and get the thing changed in good time. I have discovered that I get best results by leaving the old patch on for around 12 hours after I've stuck the new one on. This means I have 2 in place for up to half a day with one of them theoretically empty but it seems to give me the best transition.

As always, a bit of trial and error is required.